Chapter 249 The Truth 2

Elara

The hotel room was all soft lighting and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Seattle skyline. I barely registered any of it. My eyes were locked on Dominic.

He leaned down and kissed the corner of my mouth. Soft. Just a brush. "You couldn’t wait to tell me, so you flew all the way here?"

I shook my head. Then nodded.

He laughed. "Which one is it, baby?"

I looked up at his face. So close. Those amber eyes. That jaw I wanted to trace with my fingers.

I couldn’t help myself. I leaned in and kissed his cheek."Don’t get mad."

His eyebrows went up. "That’s a hell of a way to start a sentence."

"Zack came to see me today. He had documents. Recordings. And a photo from Alpha Academy. You, me, and Zack were all in it."

Dominic’s jaw tightened. His eyes went dark.

I kept going before he could interrupt. "I need to ask you something. And I need you to be honest with me."

"Always."

I took a breath. "Was that the first time you noticed me? That day at the Alpha Academy?"

My voice came out smaller than I wanted it to. I hated it. I hated how vulnerable I sounded. But I needed to know.

"Three years ago. At the Alpha Academy. Yes. I saw you." His thumb traced my cheekbone. "And something in me just... stopped. My wolf knew before I did. He was already yours before we ever spoke a word."

His voice dropped.

"But you were already taken. You had a mate. So I told myself to forget you. That you were nothing special. Just another she-wolf."

A bitter laugh escaped him.

"I went to clubs. Drank too much. Hooked up with random women trying to get you out of my head. It didn’t work. Nothing worked."

He paused.

"So I kept tabs on you. From a distance. I told myself it was just to make sure you were okay. That I wasn’t interfering. That I was just... watching out for you."

I felt a piece click into place.

I thought about all the other times. Small things I’d brushed off as coincidence.

The time my car broke down in the middle of nowhere and a tow truck showed up in fifteen minutes even though I hadn’t called one.

The time I got caught in a rainstorm and a stranger handed me an umbrella before disappearing into the crowd.

The time I mentioned at work that I liked a specific brand of tea and found a box of it on my desk the next day with no note.

"You," I whispered. "All of it was you."

Dominic ran a hand through his hair. "I know it sounds crazy. I know it sounds like I was obsessed. Maybe I was. But I swear to you, Elara, I never crossed the line. I never made contact. I never tried to pull you away from Zack. I just..."

He let out a breath.

"I just couldn’t let anything bad happen to you. Even if you never knew it was me."

My eyes burned.

"Then the accident happened," he continued, his voice rougher now. "I couldn’t walk for months. Couldn’t do anything but lie in a hospital bed and hate myself for not being able to protect you."

He paused.

"That’s when I found out about Zack. About how he treated you. How he kept you hidden like a dirty secret while he flew to Europe every holiday to see Selina."

His jaw tightened.

"I couldn’t stand it. So I made a plan. I pushed myself harder than the doctors wanted. Worked my ass off in rehab. All so I could get back on my feet and be there when you finally needed me."

I was crying now. I couldn’t stop it.

"Thank the Moon Goddess I made it in time," he whispered.

His forehead touched mine. "So I could be there when you finally left him. So I could make you smile. So I could show you what it felt like to be loved."

His hand slid into my hair.

"I don’t know when it started, Elara. Maybe the first time I saw you. Maybe the hundredth time I watched you from a distance and saw you laugh. All I know is that I’ve been yours for a long time."

He pulled back just enough to look me in the eye.

"And I’m not going anywhere."

I broke. Tears spilled down my cheeks and I couldn’t stop them.

"I’m sorry," I choked out. "I doubted you. Just for a second. I’m so sorry."

Dominic smiled. That soft, private smile that was just for me.

"It’s okay. Pregnant women get a free pass." He wiped my tears with his thumb. "Besides, my wife just told me I’m going to be a dad. Nothing else matters."

I laughed through my tears. "Who said it’s a girl?"

"I did." His grin widened. "I’m calling it now. This one’s a girl. I can feel it."

"You’re ridiculous."

"Maybe." He kissed me. Soft and slow. "But I’m your ridiculous."

--

Dominic cleared his whole calendar in forty-five minutes.

One call to his assistant, a couple of terse texts, and suddenly the Alpha King was playing hooky from his own summit.

"Done," he said, pocketing his phone. "Let’s go home."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

By the time the sun went down, we were on his Gulfstream, wheels up and heading east.

--

The second we touched down, Dominic marched me straight to the pack medical wing.

"Dominic, I already got checked," I said, speed-walking to keep up with him down the hallway.

"I know. I just want to make sure."

"Make sure of what? That I’m still pregnant? It’s been, like, eight hours."

He didn’t answer. Just kept walking.

We ended up in Dr. Hayes’s office. She was sitting at her desk, tablet in one hand, coffee in the other. She looked up when we walked in and didn’t bother hiding her smirk.

"Luna Elara. You’re back. And you brought the Alpha with you. Must be serious."

"Apparently," I said.

She looked at Dominic. "Everything okay, Alpha?"

"Everything’s fine," Dominic said. "I just have a question."

Dr. Hayes leaned back. "Alright. Hit me."

Dominic leaned forward. Dead serious. "Is it a girl?"

Silence.

I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.

Dr. Hayes stared at him. Then at me. Then back at him. A slow grin spread across her face.

"Alpha," she said, "Luna Elara is four weeks pregnant. I can’t tell you the sex until at least eighteen weeks. Sometimes twenty."

"But you’re sure it’s a girl, right?"

"I—" She blinked. "I didn’t say that."

"But you can tell, can’t you?" Dominic pressed. "You’re a doctor. You’ve delivered hundreds of pups. You must have some intuition."

I grabbed his arm. "Dominic. Stop talking."

Dr. Hayes rubbed her temples, but she was fighting a smile. "Alpha, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but that’s not how biology works. If you want to know the sex, you’ll need to wait for the anatomy scan. And even then, some couples choose not to find out."

Dominic frowned. "Why would anyone do that?"

"Because it’s a surprise."

"I don’t like surprises."

I groaned, grabbed him by the sleeve, and dragged him out of the office before he could dig himself any deeper.

Behind us, I heard Dr. Hayes laughing.

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